Keith's Softer Side
by Crimsonwings92
Summary: The proud and arrogant crown Prince of Liberty Kingdom, his royal Highness Keith Alford, has only one weakness, a weakness that compels him to be humble and selfless in her name. Pride and Arrogance have no place in his heart when he looks into her eyes; only tender love...and worry. KeithxOC


**Crimsonwings92: **I had no idea they finally had a section for the 'Be My Princess'! And, in celebration, I'm going to add my own story to the many others here! I hope you enjoy this little fanfiction!

**Disclaimer: **Be My Princess is the creation of Voltage Inc.

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**Keith's Softer Side**

**A Short Story**

It was a relatively normal and peaceful day at the manse, things seeming to have calmed down enough for mostly everyone to take a small break. The sun was warm, the wind was cool, and the sky was a bright and beautiful blue as it stretched across the kingdom of Liberty. The people of Liberty were happy with the day, the butlers and maids were happy, and even the royalty were happy with such a relaxing day upon them. However, in the manor house located in the gardens of the manse, the air was filled with dull anxiety…and they had a feeling that something was out of place. The crown princes of the other five most powerful countries in the world- Edward, Wilfred, Joshua, Glenn, and Roberto- sat in the open and spacious living room of Prince Keith's manor, watching the man practically run to and from the rooms in the back anxiously. They had come to the manor, upon their host's request, for their monthly meeting in regards to the union they had formed when Liberty was in a financial crisis instead of going to the conference room in the manse like usual. The only reason he gave them was because he wanted to stay close to the manor in case he was needed immediately. Needed for what? They weren't sure, but it had to be important if he was stalling the meeting like this to take care of whatever it was that had him so…worried?

Keith finally seemed to be able to relax a little bit as he came back from the rooms, sighing to himself before taking a seat among the other princes; "I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I'm aware that you have your own busy schedules and will not hold you any longer," he apologized, bowing his head respectfully.

"Please, Prince Keith, it's no real trouble. Whatever it is that has you so anxious is obviously of importance to you," Edward, the kind-hearted soul that he was, replied gently and with a warm smile.

The man in question nodded his head at his companion before addressing his butler, "Luke, bring us some tea!"

"Right away, Your Highness," Luke bowed before running to do as ordered.

"If you don't mind me asking, Prince Keith, what has you so troubled today?" Wilfred inquired curiously, his blue eyes set coolly on their host.

"It's nothing, really," was the short reply the blond haired man received, however it was not to end there.

"Is it Nadia?" Roberto asked next, grinning when Keith stiffened up and sent a glare his way, "So it is Nadia."

Glenn looked to Roberto, "How did you guess that?"

Prince Roberto just chuckled and shrugged his shoulders while crossing one leg over the other, "I just put two and two together. Keith only becomes worried or anxious when it comes to Nadia and seeing as how she's not here and he keeps running around like an anxious mother hen, I figured it had something to do with her."

"…Well, aren't you so very observant?" Keith sneered none too kindly at the silly prince.

"I'm told that's one of my best qualities, Keithster!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that!?" Keith all but roared, looking about ready to throttle the brunette across from him.

"Honestly, must you always yell?" Joshua asked with a disheartened sigh, "Anyway, what is wrong with your fiancé, Keith?"

"There's nothing wrong with her, so none of you need to worry yourselves over it," the green-eyed royal snapped as he sat back in his chair, Luke finally returning with a tray of tea for the princes.

Roberto, a perplexed expression on his face as he stared at something behind Keith, tilted his head to the side and said, "Are you sure nothing's wrong with her? Because she looks awful to me."

At that, Keith blinked in confusion and then turned his head around to see what Roberto was talking about. To his dismay, he found his private seamstress turned fiancé slowly making her way to the kitchen. She was still dressed in her pajamas, a pair of flannel bottoms and a tank top, with a blanket over her shoulders and her wavy dark brown hair braided over the side of her shoulder. She looked completely out of it, her dark brown eyes unfocused, and her caramel skin pale and clammy. She didn't even seem to notice the seven men staring at her as she stumbled past them.

Now the others knew why Keith wanted the meeting to be at the manor.

Poor Nadia was sick and he wanted to stay close to take care of her.

"You idiot! I told you to stay in bed!" Keith shouted angrily as he shot up from his seat and stalked over to her, "You're unwell! You need to get your rest!"

Nadia, the usually upbeat and active little seamstress with a smile to rival the brightness of the sun, looked absolutely miserable now. She hardly realized that Keith was even standing in front of her, but that didn't stop her from curling her fingers into his shirt and leaning against him. His anger immediately disappeared and his face now freely showed the worry he had been keeping locked away; she looked so small and fragile, so vulnerable and it tugged at his heart. He didn't want anyone else to see her like this so he picked her up in his arms and settled her against his chest, hiding her from the others.

"…ater…" she mumbled, sniffing slightly.

"What did you say?" he asked her.

"Wa…ter…" she repeated, Keith nodding a second later.

"Luke, get her a glass of water and bring it to the room," her ordered of his manservant before carrying Nadia to their bedroom once again, leaving the other princes in the living room.

They stared after him until he was gone, all of them silent for some time before Roberto chuckled again and crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's kind of nice to see his softer side."

"Prince Keith really does love Nadia. It's endearing to watch," Edward agreed with a smile.

"Love does change a man," Joshua commented with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Indeed," Wilfred put in.

"Agreed," Glenn added.

Here, Roberto sighed and seemed to look fairly sad and said dramatically, "Oh, how I wish I had Nadia's love so I could look after her when she's ill. She looks so cute and small!"

Glenn rolled his eyes and regarded the brunette, "You know if Prince Keith heard you saying that about her he would have your head, right?"

While the princes remained in the living room, chuckling amongst themselves at Roberto's expense, Keith was busy tending to the woman soon to be his wife. Once inside the room, he placed her on the soft mattress of the king sized bed and removed the blanket from her shoulders before laying her head onto the fluffy pillows. She sighed comfortably, but then curled up as she coughed into her fist almost violently. Keith knew that she just had a cold that came about from her staying up too late and working too hard for the past couple of weeks on outfits for the king and queen. He also knew that it would most likely be gone by tomorrow with the proper care, but still, it worried him. She was so weak and so pale; he would never admit it to anyone, but it scared him to see her like this. Luke came in with the water and Keith took it from him and held it to Nadia's lips, the girl drinking from it immediately. Once she had her fill, the prince set the glass on the nightstand beside the bed and pulled the covers over her body while kneeling beside her.

"Stay in bed this time, Nadia…please," he begged her, caressing her cheek with his fingers as he gazed into her eyes, "I want you to get better as quickly as possible…I don't like seeing you like this. Weak and fragile doesn't fit you at all! It makes me feel like…"

He trailed off while averting his eyes to the side, "It makes me feel like you'll break right underneath my fingertips."

Gentle fingers touched his cheek and he looked up to see Nadia's tired brown eyes staring into his green ones, a sweet and grateful smile spreading to her face, "Don't worry about me so much, Keith. I'll be fine and back on my feet in no time, I promise. And I also promise not to get up anymore."

The prince found himself smiling along with her as he nodded and got to his feet. Brushing her bangs from her forehead, he placed a gentle kiss right above her eyelid and turned to leave. Her hand grasping his wrist stopped him and he turned back around with a curious gaze.

"…Thank you, Keith, for taking care of me. I love you," she whispered.

Keith blinked as a rose pink blush dusted his cheeks. He smiled and brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a soft

kiss to her fingers in reply. After making sure she was comfortable and assuring her that he and Luke would be checking on her periodically, he closed the door to the room and left his princess to rest. He returned to the living room, prepared to get the meeting over with as soon as possible, but was sadly disappointed when he was first subjected to the teasing that he should have seen coming. The meeting was going to take longer than he wanted.

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Night had finally fallen over Liberty and everyone in the manse were finishing up dinner and preparing for bed. Everyone including those living in the manor in the gardens; despite Nadia being sick and bed ridden for the time being, Keith refused to have dinner without her so he arranged for them to have dinner in the bedroom. They then had their baths, the prince helping the young woman to wash since he was afraid she would fall in the shower if left alone and Nadia not arguing for she was still a little too disoriented to do so and she enjoyed his company like this. Once everything was said and done, the two lovers lay in bed together with the little seamstress on her back and Keith curled around her protectively. He had his elbow propped up on the pillows and his head resting on his fist while he caressed her face, neck, shoulder and arms. He stared down at his princess, his bride-to-be, and touched her damp hair before leaning down to kiss her forehead. When he pulled back, she was smiling up at him though tiredly since the night time medicine he had given her was starting to kick in.

"You're not allowed to get sick anymore," he suddenly declared in a firm tone, though it lacked the usual harshness it always had whenever he was making a demand of her out of frustration. No, this time, he sounded lost and worried.

Nadia giggled softly and lifted her hand to cup his cheek, "I can't help it if I get sick, Keith."

"You pushed yourself too hard, Nadia! Only an idiot would do that to themselves!" he retorted, his brow furrowing.

"Was I that much of a burden to you?"

"I didn't say that!" he shouted though quickly reigning himself in when she flinched at the sudden rise in volume, "I just…You looked so pale and miserable and it…"

When he didn't finish, Nadia focused her eyes on him and searched his face. His brow was furrowed even deeper and he was biting his bottom lip, as if trying to fight back some powerful emotion. He was also clutching her rather tightly with a trembling hand.

"Keith…were you scared?" she asked in a quiet voice, feeling him tense up beside her.

Without saying a word, he lowered himself beside her and buried his face in her neck. Nadia wrapped her arms around him and held him close, smiling secretly to herself at how adorable he was.

"I haven't had much experience with sick people," he admitted, his lips brushing against the skin of her throat, "Even with Catherine, she never looked as pale as you did this morning or as pitiful and I'm so used to seeing you running all over the place with this unrelenting energy. So when I saw you this morning…yes, I was scared. I didn't know what was wrong."

He lifted his face from her neck and stared down at her, the face she was making at him compelling him to kiss her, but when he tried she put her fingers to his lips to stop him. She was smiling playfully and shaking her head in refusal.

"The last thing we need right now is for you to get sick too, Keith," she told him, tilting her head back to kiss his forehead, "But I promise you, I will be better soon and you can kiss me all you want."

Despite his desires, he knew she was right and nodded his head solemnly. She removed her fingers from his lips and held the backs of them close to her mouth as she yawned deeply and turned her face away. The medicine was taking over now and her system was starting to shut down for the night so her immune system could fight the cold. She was soon fast asleep with Keith still staring down at her face, so cute and innocent and peaceful. He couldn't imagine any other man seeing her like this; he couldn't imagine any other man taking care of her like he could. This woman, this commoner who had stolen his heart with her fiery personality and magical hands that could bring any design to life, was his and his alone to love and care for. With that as his last thought and with a kiss to her cheek, he turned out the lights and went to sleep with Nadia wrapped up in his arms.

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The next morning came soon enough and the prince woke up to the sun filtering in through the open windows…and cold sheets. Sitting up, he realized that Nadia wasn't in bed beside him and he quickly threw off the blankets, grabbed his robe, and ran out of the room. The smell of breakfast being cooked rushed up his nostrils followed by the sound of girlish giggling. Keith all but ran into the kitchen and felt his heart leap up into his throat. The caramel skinned woman, who had been so sick just the day before, was now bright and healthy as she skipped around the kitchen in her pajama shorts and tank top while helping Luke make breakfast. Her hair was up in a messy bun and there was a bright smile on her face as she conversed with the other man who was busy cutting up strawberries.

"Nadia!" he unwittingly exclaimed in his surprise; she looked as if she had never even been sick in the first place.

Upon hearing her name, the young woman whipped around and beamed at Keith the moment she saw him. Setting the bowl of pancake mix on the counter, she ran around the kitchen island and straight towards her lover. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, Keith instinctively hugging her back though he was still left in surprise.

"Morning, Keith," she greeted him, brushing her lips over his cheek sweetly.

"Morning…" he replied in a daze, blinking his eyes as he cupped her face in his hands and stared at her, "You look so much better…"

"I feel a lot better, hehe. I guess it was just a 24 hour thing," she responded, shrugging her shoulders before wrapping her fingers around his wrist and leaning up to press her lips against his, "…It's even safe for you to kiss me now."

Something flashed in Keith's green eyes, something powerful and electric, and he pulled her close to him by wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips brushed over hers and his breath was hot against her skin.

"You know I'm going to do a lot more than just kiss you, don't you?" he whispered in her ear, his teeth nipping at her earlobe playfully while his hands roamed her body in desire.

She blushed deeply at his advances and tried to push him away, "W-Wait, Keith! Luke is…a-and breakfast…"

The man gave her no more time to argue as he swept her up in his arms and turned to leave the kitchen, calling over his shoulder to his butler, "Luke, we'll be an hour late for breakfast."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Keith looked down at the woman in his arms, her hair having been disturbed from the bun and now cascading over her shoulders and into her face. Her tank top fit snuggly over her breasts and her thighs felt soft and smooth under his hands.

"…Actually, we'll be about two hours late," he corrected.

"Very good, Your Highness-"

"Don't say it like that, Luke!" Nadia shot at him, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Breakfast will be ready for you then," the butler continued, ignoring her cry as he smiled and waved them off.

Keith only nodded before looking down at his fiancé again and smiling devilishly, "Come, my princess, you're too high-strung with energy and I know the perfect way to get rid of it."

"I'm sure you do," she grumbled, though she felt the excitement building in her chest as Keith carried her back into the room and shut the door behind them before laying her on the bed.

He crawled on top of her, kissing her passionately while his hands groped at her thighs and her hands pulled at his robe. His goal was to cover every inch of her caramel skin in his hot kisses and he was not going to stop until she was moaning and crying his name in pleasure. They undressed each other until they were completely naked, Keith caressing her body like she was a treasure to be handled with care. He kissed her slowly and lovingly, his body curving around hers with her legs on either side of his waist. He stared into her eyes and kissed her forehead tenderly, feeling truly happy that she was alright.

"I love you, Nadia," he whispered into her hair, nipping at her neck.

"I love you too, Keith," she whispered in return before throwing her head back and gasping in pleasure, completely submitting herself to her lover, her prince, her soon-to-be husband who would put aside all else to take care of her.

**The End**

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**Crimsonwings92: **Well that was fun! Hope everyone enjoyed it! Leave a review if you would please. Ciao for now!


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